Unanimous Support
Alexander Hayes had always kept his guard up against the late emperor, Jin Xuandi, suspecting that the old monarch saw his military prowess as a threat and wanted him out of the way. Why else send that crafty old man to use Sophie White as a pawn for poisoning?
But when Alexander sent his men to investigate, he discovered that Jin Xuandi wasn't the mastermind behind these schemes after all.
The facts spoke for themselves—if Jin Xuandi had truly been so cunning, he wouldn’t have ended up defeated so easily by Alexander.
As a political failure, Alexander figured Jin Xuandi simply didn’t have it in him to start plotting years in advance.
If Jin Xuandi wasn’t the culprit, then someone else—someone with long arms and deep shadows—was pulling all the strings behind the scenes...
Alexander glanced at Lily Evans cradling Charles, a wave of worry rippling through his heart.
He had found his Achilles’ heel—Lily and Charles.
But this weakness was also his greatest treasure. No matter what, Alexander would lay down his life to keep Lily and Charles safe!
Alexander had his own suspicions, but this was hardly the time to share them with Lily. Why let her stew in anxiety? For now, ignorance was bliss.
Alexander looked at Lily, his expression softening as he let out a long breath. “You’re right, my dear. I’m overthinking things. Maybe Sophie White just spun a tale to save her own skin and trick me—and I’ve spent days worrying for nothing. Here, let me hold Charlie. If you keep carrying him, your arms will turn to jelly.”
Alexander took Charles into his arms, and Charles grinned at his father, sweet and adorable.
"Charlie is smiling!" Lily Evans gazed at her son's smile, feeling her heart melt. She said, "Ah, I can't delay any longer. Tomorrow I'll prepare to return to the Mathematics Institute. Once I'm back, I'll only be able to spend time with Charlie after I come home each day."
Alexander gently stroked Lily's hair and smiled, "My dear, you're so capable—everyone needs you. Don't worry, whenever I'm free, I'll spend more time with Charlie at home. As for you, it's been a while since you went to the Academy, so I'm sure there's a pile of things waiting for you to handle. The Academy is your life's work; keeping you at home with the child and leaving the Academy aside would make you uneasy."
Lily nodded, "It's been so long since I've seen the students. I wonder how they're doing, if they've made progress. While I was recuperating, Lola took charge at the Academy and did a fantastic job. When I go back, I'll promote her to Vice Dean."
Lily's eyes lit up when she mentioned the Academy. "Your Highness, yesterday when my fourth uncle came to see me, he brought good news—he said that Leonard Yuan passed the county exam back home and has already set off for the capital. He'll arrive in a few days."
"That's wonderful! Your family produced a scholar, bringing honor to your name," Alexander said with a smile. "Speaking of exams, the results of the Palace Examination will be out tomorrow. This time, more than half of the candidates are from Phoenix Academy."
"Oh right, how could I forget that?" Lily laughed and scratched her head. These days, she's been so frazzled by rumors, and only just managed to resolve things with Sophie White, that she forgot about the Palace Examination altogether.
"Once the Palace Examination is over, all those Phoenix Academy students will come to visit Dean Jade, no matter their ranking," Lily said, crossing her legs with pride and playfully kicking Alexander. "Who knows, maybe one of my students will be the top scorer or win the flower-seeker title!"
"Ha!" Seeing Lily act all smug, Alexander couldn't help but laugh. "Dean Jade's first batch of students is about to enter the court. Give it ten years, and most of the civil officials will be your students. Even if you're a commoner, you'll be able to rally everyone in court with a single call—much more impressive than me, the general."